The French-born actress began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film and talking pictures. She had a successful film career with Paramount Pictures, and is recognized as one of the leading ladies of comedy movies. Colbert was the highest paid actress in American cinema during the late 1930s. She won the AcademyAward for Best Actress for her comedic performance in It Happened One Night (1934), and also received Academy Award nominations for her dramatic roles in Private Worlds (1935), and Since You Went Away (1944).